Shiranui Kyo
Shiranui Kyo, '''known as '''Kyo Shiranui '''in the localization, is a character in Hakuōki. He is a demon currently in the service of the Choshu domain, which opposes the Shinsengumi. Personality Shiranui is flighty, flippant, and proud, often referring to himself with the arrogant pronoun ore-sama. However, though he flaunts the notion of demon superiority based on physical capabilities, he does not believe that demons are always superior or that humans are always inferior. Regardless of race, he appreciates anyone who can grasp the big picture, and has difficulty getting along with narrow-minded or stubborn people. For instance, Shiranui dislikes Kazama immensely, referring to him as "that asshole" when they are not together. However, he works with him out of necessity since their respective domains are allies. His hatred of furies also transcends his personal vendettas, as he is willing to help his adversaries in a fight if furies are their common enemy. Shiranui is easily bored and constantly seeks out the next most interesting thing, which often relates to fighting. Furthermore, he takes great delight in teasing people just to get a reaction out of them, most notably Chizuru and even Kazama. However, though Shiranui is playful, he is also very direct, and will always tell a situation like he sees it. Similarly, he is willing to go to great lengths to prove a point, such as (in Harada's route) firing bullets directly at Chizuru so that she will be forced to recognize and acknowledge her inhuman reflexes. Background Shiranui is a fictional character, known as '''Shiranui Kyou '''in the original Japanese, and is the head of the Shiranui clan of demons. He acted as bodyguard to a Choshu warrior, '''Takasugi Shinsaku, '''along with the Tosa ronin Sakamoto Ryouma. Takasugi eventually died of tuberculosis, but having become his close friend, Shiranui took up his cause in his honor. Despite caring little for humans as a whole, Shiranui has continued fighting on behalf of the Choshu domain. In Hakuōki: Stories of the Shinsengumi ''See also: Shiranui Kyo/Route'' Shiranui's exact role varies between routes, but he can be considered an antagonist or an ally. Chapter 1 If Chizuru goes with Harada, Shiranui appears to cover the Choshu's retreat and faces off against him. There, their rivalry is established. Chapter 2 Shiranui accompanies Amagiri and Kazama to Nijo Castle with the purpose of revealing Chizuru's demon heritage and stealing her away. He suggests shooting her as the easiest way to prove she heals quickly, but Kazama prevents him from doing so. Once the Shinsengumi intervenes, he again duels Harada. Chapter 3 Shiranui raids the Shinsengumi compound with Kazama and Amagiri to retrieve Chizuru, but is more interested in fighting Harada again than in Kazama's mission. When he bids Harada goodbye after another stalemate, he tells him he wants to "fight until one of them dies". He appears again at Aburano Koji to reveal that the Satsuma and Choshu are now allies. However, he does not make distinctions between his allies and enemies, as he shoots one of the Satsuma men dead for interrupting Amagiri. Saito's route Shiranui appears outside Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle to challenge Harada and Nagakura. He has little to no investment in Kazama's mission, as he permits Saito to take Chizuru inside. In the good ending, he is not seen again and his fate remains unknown. In the bad ending, he returns having killed both his adversaries. Harada's route In Chapter 4, Shiranui appears at the Fushimi magistrate's office to antagonize Chizuru during the Battle of Toba-Fushimi, reminding her that she is not human and does not belong with the Shinsengumi. If Chizuru decides to leave Harada to fight Shiranui on her behalf, he shoots her through the heart and expresses disappointment that she has so little demon pride. Chizuru cannot see what happens, but Shiranui is implied to kill Harada as she dies. In Hakuōki: Kyoto Winds Shiranui's involvement in the plot is largely the same as in Stories of the Shinsengumi, with the following exceptions. Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 (Harada) Even in the bad endings, Shiranui does not shoot Chizuru, instead stating that he cannot kill her because female demons are so rare. Chapter 5 (Sakamoto) Shiranui appears to cover Sakamoto and Chizuru's escape from Nakaoka and the imperial furies. He regroups with them at Osaka Castle, but leaves soon after to continue opposing the imperial army while Sakamoto and Chizuru look for Kodo. In Hakuōki: Edo Blossoms Shiranui's involvement in the plot is largely the same as in Stories of the Shinsengumi, with the following exceptions. Hijikata's route Saito's route Harada's route Sakamoto's route Kazama's route Shiranui appears in Aizu to deliver Harada's spear, revealing that Harada died at Ueno. He refers to Harada as "one of the bravest, most ferocious warriors has ever met", which Chizuru observes is high praise for a demon. In Hakuōki: Sweet School Life ''Main article: Shiranui Kyo/SSL'' In the anime In the musicals ''Main article: 'Shiranui Kyo/HakuMyu Shiranui is portrayed by Kashiwagi Yuusuke in all his HakuMyu appearances until Hijikata-hen 2, in which he is portrayed by Menjo Kentaro. Gallery Shiranui-chibi.png|Chibi Shiranui Amagiri-Kazama-Shiranui-1.jpg|Chizuru's ride arrives Harada-Shiranui-1.jpg|Bromance? Rivalry? Kismesissitude? Harada-Shiranui-Chizuru-1.jpg|"A poem would be nice, if you could." Quotes Trivia * Shiranui is missing his tattoo in the anime. * There is some confusion about whether or not Shiranui's clan actually owes the Choshu domain a debt. Kazama and Amagiri both mention (on Kazama's and Saito's routes, respectively) that the Shiranui clan has ties to the Choshu left over from Sekigahara, akin to the Kazama and Amagiri clans' connection to the Satsuma. However, Shiranui himself repeatedly insists that he is only allied with the Choshu because of his friendship with Takasugi. * In the DLC story "Memories: For Good or Ill", Shiranui states that despite the inconvenience, he uses a gun to prove to his human adversaries that they must adapt to modern weaponry and tactics if they want to survive the coming age. ** However, in HakuMyu Kazama-hen and Toudou-hen's "Oni no Chikara", Shiranui claims that he uses a gun so that he can prolong fights with humans for his own entertainment, as he feels that no human can withstand his demon powers. * The fact that Shiranui dresses in Western wear from the beginning may represent his habit of embracing outside influences, which is stated in the "A Meeting of Demons" DLC to be unusual for a demon. * Despite Shiranui and Kazama's mutual dislike of one another, they can behave very similarly. Both have an often deadly disdain for those unable to adapt to the world around them, and both will seek out or create amusing situations to keep them entertained, often by provoking people. * According to ''Shall We Date: Demons' Bond ''canon, the character '''Shiranui Shin '''is implied to be a distant relative of Shiranui Kyo.Category:Characters Category:Fictional characters Category:Male characters Category:Demons Category:Antagonists Category:Allies